Robert Parker on Wine Trends: Wine Is Now Number One

I never thought I’d see the day when Americans would choose wine over beer, and red wine over white, but there are a variety of reasons for the increased popularity of wine, including a more democratic approach to the beverage from its snobbish, rather elitist roots, as well as all the medical good news about the healthy aspects of red-wine consumption that have been published in the past several years. That wonderful antioxidant component found in red wine’s tannin, resveratrol, is getting more and more play in medical circles as a valuable source of good health. I am no doctor, but the idea of drinking several glasses of wine over a leisurely meal must certainly have a positive effect on one’s mental and physical state, just by virtue of the fact that it is civilized, relaxing and fun. Perhaps the most shocking development, in addition to wine replacing beer as America’s favorite beverage, is that red wine has outpaced white wine.

Robert Parker: 30 Years of Wine Trends

• The Rise of the Winemaking Consultant
• The World’s Most Influential Wine Consultants
• The Rise of the Wine Critic
• The Culinary Revolution
• The Explosion of Diversity in Wine
• Exciting New Wine Regions
• The New Philosophy of Winemaking
• The Creation of Healthier Vineyards
• Wine Is Now Number One
• Huge Increases in Popularity and High Prices

Published September 2008